Last weekend, 37-year-old Sandra Lee Loepp went out with friends in Washington Twp., Mich. on the outskirts of Detroit. Around 1 a.m. Sunday, she decided to walk home from the bar. The mother of five children would never make it.
While walking, an unknown driver struck Loepp and dragged her body some 600 feet. What happened next is what sets this case apart from the hundreds and thousands of other hit-and-runs that occur in the U.S.
We are told that person got out of the car and pulled Loepp out from under the vehicle and then just drove away. Later that morning, her lifeless body was found in the parking lot in front of the office of a mobile home park.
That detail comes from a MyFoxDetroit story on Loepp's horrific death. They have video from the memorial service, too:
Fox 2 News Headlines
Three days later, police have yet to release details of what make and model of vehicle could be tied to evidence left at the scene. When they do, we'll update this post (or start a new To Catch A Car one if there's video).
In the meantime, Loepp's loved ones just want the driver to turn him — or herself — in, and they have an unbelievably graceful way of expressing it.
"I don't think the person that hit her had any evil intentions in them. I think it was an accident and I think they got scared and ran away, but there's a time to step up. We're not looking to hurt anybody, sue anybody or be vengeful, but you can free yourself by admitting what you did, and I know they're suffering in their own way," said her father, Rodger Crowe.
Here's the full press release that the Macomb County Sheriff's Office emailed Jalopnik upon request:
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham reports that his department is continuing the investigation involving [Sunday]'s discovery of a deceased white female.
The body of a female was found in the parking lot in front of the office for the Washington Mobile Home Park.
The investigation has revealed that the victim left Santino's Bar at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Sunday and was walking northbound on either the shoulder or the roadway of Old Van Dyke. The victim was approximately a half mile north of the bar when she was struck.
Investigators believe that the victim was dragged by the vehicle and then was probably dislodged from the vehicle by the person who had struck her.
The victim was discovered on December 16, 2012 at approximately 8:20 a.m. by a motorist who was traveling in the area of Van Dyke south of 28 Mile.
Investigators believe that the vehicle that struck the victim will have damage to the front end as well as the passenger side of the vehicle. Evidence was collected at the scene of the crash and is being analyzed. This evidence may lead to the responsible party.
An autopsy was completed by the Macomb County Medical Examiner, Doctor Daniel Spitz. Doctor Daniel Spitz concluded that the injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
The victim is identified as Sandra Lee Loepp, 37 years old, from Washington Township.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 586-307-9412 or 1-800-SPEAKUP (Crime Stoppers).